Playdagogy Olympic Values – Vanuatu

In partnership with Paris 2024 and Unicef, PLAY International has just completed our first ever training in the south Pacific. Working with a group of local experts the Playdagogy Olympic Values kit builds on from the Olympic values of respect, friendship and excellence to address social issues in Vanuatu - gender, violence, disability, inclusion and health :

> Respecting ourselves is looking after our body, by eating correctly and being active.

> Everyone can achieve excellence - girls, boys and people living with disabilities.

> Understanding that everyone has different skills and abilities, and that we all should make an effort to get to know people different from ourselves.

> Excellence is a personal challenge to do better - everyone sets their own challenge.

> Listening to the ideas and opinions of everyone to develop friendships and solve problems.

Nine federations (basketball, athletics, football, tennis, table tennis, beach volleyball, rugby, archery and netball), and teachers from four schools participated an active, fun and informative training workshop at the Vanuatu Tennis Centre; learning about the Olympic Values, how they apply to daily life and the innovative Playdagogy approach.

As a group they experienced four of the sessions - giving participants the opportunity to apply their learning in a very active manner. The learning was celebrated by an official launch of the Playdagogy Olympic Values programme in Vanuatu by the Vanuatu Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (VASANOC), along with Bernard Lapasset (co-president for the Paris 2024 Olympic candidature). Laurence Fischer, three-time karate world champion, joined the children as they played their first Playdagogy session, as well as sharing her experiences with PLAY International in Afghanistan and France during the training.

The teachers and coaches will be sharing the six sessions with children in the coming months with a big celebration planned for Olympic Day (June 23). We are looking forward to hearing how they go!

In numbers:

> 3 days of co-creation and adaption with 5 participants representing four organisations.

> 6 Playdagogy sessions created along with a Guide and evaluation tool specific for Vanuatu : Download > The guide > The 6 sessions

> 2 days of training – reaching 9 national sport federations, and 4 local primary schools.

> Half day launch event where 34 children participated in a Playdagogy session lead by two of the trained participants.

> 30 kits constructed and distributed.

A big thank you to PARIS 2024, VASANOC, UNICEF Pacific, Vanuatu Tennis and the Vanuatu Football Federation for collaborating on the adaptation of the kit - ensuring the sessions and messages are Vanuatu specific.